Emergency electric lantern



y 1956 c. J. MOAK EMERGENCY ELECTRIC LANTERN Filed April 7, 1954agifixawr ATT'YS United States Patent EMERGENCY ELECTRIC LANTERN ChesterJ. Moak, Port Huron, Mich., assignor of one-half to Herbert L. Glidden,Roscommon, Mich.

Application April 7, 1954, Serial No. 421,579

2 Claims. (Cl. 240--8.18)

This invention relates to improvements in electric lanterns especiallysuitable for emergency uses.

When atmospheric conditions create violent disturbances across stretchesof the earths surface, storms very often bring destruction of varyingkinds to the facilities upon which communities are much dependent fortheir comfort if not their basic existence. These storms may be snow,sleet, rain, and/or wind. Among the facilities most vulnerable todishabilitation are the power and communication lines Where they arestrung on poles or towers across the landscape. Their temporarydisablement often results in great inconvenience where it does notnecessarily cause actual suffering. Utility companies, responsible forthe maintenance of these facilities, have crews of men ready at amoments notice for dispatch to rehabilitate such facilities as quicklyas possible. Often these crews are called out at night and on occasionmay require carrying over daylight activities into the night. On suchoccasions these men have to climb poles or trees and move over theground from or on which may be hanging or lying portions of live,high-powered wires and cables, accidental contact with which could meanserious injury if not quick death.

On these occasions some kind of light becomes imperative, to permit theeflective work of restoration and to guard against injuries and death.Motor vehicle headlights and conventional lanterns are not alwaysadequate to meet the needs of the workmen involved in undertaking aquick restoration of these wrecked facilities.

The main objects of this invention, therefore, are to provide animproved form of electric lantern especially suitable for use inemergencies; to provide an improved emergency lantern of this kind whichmay be used to fan out the light rays horizontally or vertically, aschanging phases of the situation may require; to provide an improvedemergency electric lantern of this kind adapted to give a continuouslight beam or a colored flashing signal; to provide improved means formounting a colored lens in storage in the lantern or for use thereon; toprovide an improved relative arrangement of the transport handle and thecontrol switch whereby the switch lever is protected against accidentalshifting when the lantern is not in transport; and to provide animproved electric lantern of this kind which is so simple in itsconstruction as to make its manufacture very economical and to make itavailable for use with almost any source of electric power.

One specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an emergency electric lanternconstructed in accordance with this invention, the transport handlebeing shown in its retractive position for protecting the switch againstaccidental shifting.

Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the lantern with the back closurein open position.

Fig. 3 is an inside perspective view of the colored lens for use when itis desired to have the lantern provide a warning signal.

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Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail illustrating a cable connector for usewith a motor-vehicle cigarette-lighter socket.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary, sectional view illustrating how thecolor lens is positioned on the housing front, and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing the electrical circuits involvinga cable connector, the flash unit, the switch, and the light.

The essential concept of this invention involves a housing mounting, aseal-beam headlight, a flasher unit and switch connected in circuit witha length of cable leading to power-line connectors, the housing having ahinged cover for storing a colored lens magnetized for retentivepositioning in the cover or on the front of the housing over theheadlight lens, a transport handle being secured to the housing forprotecting the switch against accidental shifting when the handle isfolded down against the housing during stationary use of the lantern.

A lantern embodying the foregoing concept comprises, a housing 11, witha hinged back-closure 12 and a hinged transport-handle 13, on and withinwhich housing 11 are arranged a sealed beam headlight 14, a flasher unit16, and a switch 17 all connected in circuit with a cable 18 leading toterminal connectors 19 or 19 attachable to a source of power; a colorlens 20 being provided with permanent magnets for positioning the lensin storage in the closure 12 or on the housing front over the light lens15.

The housing 11 is here shown of rectangular form. It is preferably madeof a gage of metal that will constitute a sturdy structure capable ofrough usage in all kinds of weather with little likelihood of damage toitself or the parts thereof. The front panel 21 is cut out toaccommodate the headlight 14 and has flanges 22 and 23 along the bottomedge and the adjacent side edge, serving as a safety support for thecolor lens 20, as presently will be pointed out. At the rear of one sideis a slot 24 for the cable 18.

The closure 12 is formed with flanges 26 around the entire perimeter. Apair of side projections 27 permit the closure 12 to be hinged at 28 tothe housing sides near the base 29, so that the closure 12 may be swungbetween a closed position with the flanges embracing the peripheraledges of the top and side walls of the housing 11 and an open position,as respectively shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A small depression 30, formed inthe flange 26, to form a protrusion which seats in a similar depression31 in the top of the housing to yieldingly retain the closure 12 in itsclosed position on the housing 11.

The handle 13 is here shown of substantial C-shape, with its end lugs 34hinged to a pair of posts 32 secured on the top 33 of the housing 11. Aswill be noted most readily from Fig. 1, the lugs 34 have one cornerrounded and the other square as at 36. Thus, the handle 13 can be swungin only one direction from its transport position (Fig. 2) to itsretracted position against the housing op 33, in which latter positionarcuate portion 35 of the handle 13 is around the switch lever 37 andtends to protect it against accidental shifting during the time thelantern is in stationary use.

The headlight 14 is a conventional, seal-beam unit standard with presentday motor vehicles. As such it tends to fan out the light rays in onedirection nearly axially of the light. The light 14 is secured in thehousing frontpanel opening by screws 38 or bolts and nuts.

The flasher unit 16 is a conventional item generally used for soalternating the circuit as to cause flashing of the light 14. Thisflasher unit 16 is mounted on the inside of the housing top 33 inposition to be conveniently connected to the cable 18 along with theswitch 17.

The switch 17, also is a conventional item of the double throw type sothat it can connect the headlight 14 directly with a continuous flowingsource of power or cut in the flasher un t 16 as may be desired by thoseusing this as an emergency lantern. As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2,the switch 17 is so positioned on the housing top 33 as to locate thelever 37 within the area of the transport handle 13 when it is foldeddown against the housing top 33.

The cable 18 is a suitable length of conventional material with one ofits leads connected to the headlight 14 and the other to the switch 17.At its outer end the cable 18 mounts a connector either of the clamptype 19 or the plug-in type 19'. The former permits attachment to anyexposed terminals in a source of electrical power and is especiallysuitable for connection to a motor-vehicle battery which may often bethe only source of current available until some of the lines can becompleted. The plug-in connector 19' is here shown of the type suitablefor inserting into the cigarette-lighter socket on a motor-vehicle. andstored in the housing 11.

The color lens 20, also is a conventional item and is of a size that canbe seated in the closure 12, when not in use, or be set over theheadlight 14 when a color warning signal is required. Permanent magnets39 are secured in the four corners of the lens 20 by means of which itis retained in position in either the closure 12 or on the housing front21.

This emergency lantern is useful in the following manner:

When light is needed for workmen on the ground the lantern is set on itsbase 29, as shown in Fig. 1. This will afford a wide angle,horizontally, of strong illumination for men working even a considerabledistance from the lantern. When men have to ascend poles or trees, thelantern may be laid on its side so that the rays fan out vertically.With the lantern set only a short distance from the poles illuminationwill be available to a height quite beyond the highest poles or treesthe men will have to ascend.

When it is desired to use the lantern as a warning signal, the colorlens 20 is placed on the housing front 21 over the headlight 14. If aflashing signal is required the switch 17 may be turned to cut in theflasher unit 16. With this color lens 20 on the lantern front thelantern may be set either on its base 29 or on one of the sides. Ineither case the lens 20 rests against the flange 22 or flange 23 whichserve to insure against the lens 20 being accidentally displaced.

During the time the lantern is in use, and not being transported, thehandle 13 is turned down against the housing top 33 to protect theswitch lever 37 from being accidentally shifted.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shownand described, it will be understood that numerous details of theconstruction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from thespirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. An emergency electric lantern comprising a rectangular-shaped housingof a dimension top to bottom and side to side slightly greater than thediameter of a conventional motor-vehicle seal-beam headlight and of afront to rear dimension greater than the axial length of such aheadlight, the housing being operatively position- When not in use thecable is coiled up able on either its bottom or one side and having oneend open and the other end annularly recessed to receive the headlightlens, a closure for the open end of the housing hinged to the sides ofthe housing adjacent the bottom, flanges along three sides of theclosure for telescopically fitting the housing when the closure is inits closed position, a conventional motor-vehicle seal-beam headlightsecured in the housing with its lens disposed in the recessed housingend, a pair of spaced posts on the housing top, a handle hinged to theposts and limited to a one-way swinging between an upright carryingposition and a retracted position against the housing top, a switchfixed on the housing top between the posts in position to be operated bya hand grasping the handle in carrying posi tion and to be partiallyenclosed within the handle in its retracted position against the housingtop, and a length of cable having a power line connector on one end andhaving the other end connected in circuit with the headlight and theswitch and storable in the housing when not in use.

2, An emergency electric lantern comprising, a rec tangular-shape metalhousing of a dimension top to bottom and side to side slightly greaterthan the diameter of a conventional motor-vehicle seal-beam headlightand a front to rear dimension greater than the axial length of such aheadlight, the housing being operatively positionable on either itsbottom or one side and having one end open and the other end annularlyrecessed to receive the headlight lens, flanges on the housing recessedend along the bottom and the one side edge thereof respectively, aclosure for the open end of the housing hinged to the sides of thehousing adjacent the bottom, flanges along three sides of the closurefor telescopically fitting the housing when the closure is in its closedposition, a conventional motor-vehicle seal-beam headlight secured inthe housing with its lens disposed in the recessed housing end, a pairof spaced posts on the housing top, a handle hinged to the posts andlimited to a oneway swinging between an upright carrying position and aretracted position against the housing top, a switch fixed on thehousing top between the posts in position to be operated by a handgrasping the handle in carrying position and to be partially enclosedwithin the handle in its retracted position against the housing top, alength of cable having a power line connector on one end and having theother end connected in circuit with the headlight and the switch andstorable in the housing when not in use, and a rectangular-shapedsupplemental color lens dimensioned to fit within the closure flangesand over the headlight lens when resting on the housing flanges, thesupplemental lens having permanent magnets at corners thereof adapted toremovablyretain the supplemental lens in storage position on the housingclosure or in operative position on the housing end over the headlightlens.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS733,766 Sutherland July 14, 1903 982,651 Wellman Jan. 24, 1911 1,459,083Becker June 19, 1923 1,553,877 Ring Sept. 15, 1925 1,973,361 SmallySept. 11, 1934 2,147,482 Butler Feb. 14, 1939

